


A Much Needed Respite

by Ragtime-Doll (TheMysteryWriter)



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: AU, Be kind to Lost Ones and they'll be kind in turn, Developing Friendships, Fishing Buddies AU, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Heartwarming, Henry gets a break and makes a friend, Henry isn't the only one who remembers the loops, Light Angst, Lost One Fisherman, SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 5!!, See guys? I can write happy stuff too!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-10-25 06:59:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17720366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMysteryWriter/pseuds/Ragtime-Doll
Summary: "Sometimes a break is all one needs to regain their confidence to keep moving forward."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Hey folks! As of publishing this, Bendy and the Ink Machine is officially 2 years old!! 🎉🎉 Happy Birthday to my favorite horror game ever and congrats to TheMeatly and his crew for all their success with it! :D  
> **  
>  \--  
>  **Quick backstory on this fic:** I decided after Ch 5+ that Henry SERIOUSLY needs a break and a friend. Add a love for the fishing Lost One and some pleasantly calming music, and you have this story! I've been SUPER excited to share it for a while now, but have had one HECK of a time trying to rewrite the intro for several months because it just wouldn't work with me! >:U But now I can happily say now that it is done, and I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Also, let me know if you see any mistakes or if something seems off, and if you have questions or want to know more about the behind the scenes, check the note at the end!
> 
> And a **HUGE** thanks to LittleAnnaSmith, Noah, and Turtle for proofreading this for me! Y'all are the best :'3  
> \------------------  
> 

\--

It was a strange thing, the way they became friends, unlikely even, considering the circumstances. Joey Drew Studios seemed like it was always against happy endings, purposefully trying to find a way to destroy any solace one might find while trekking through it's hellish, inky labyrinth of walls.

But then again, even in a place like this, when things were at their darkest, hope always found a way to shine through it all; past the endless layers of ink, and down to the depths of helplessness and despair.

..Even if it happened to take the form of an ink monstrosity itself.

Jeb, was an odd Lost One. One even his own kind would agree was strange, choosing to spend his days of eternal torment in the studio partaking in the sport he remembered loving best in his days as a human, rather than following Sammy Lawrence’s teachings or wallowing in his own self pity.

He always sat there, atop his little shack outside of town, fishing away into the inky lake below seemingly without a care in the world. Despite whatever happened around him, he seemed oblivious to it all.

But in reality, Jeb was not as unaware as he seemed. Sitting in the same spot all day had it's advantages. He knew of and saw things that no other Lost One did.

Perhaps that's how he became aware of the looping timelines in the first place..

Jeb couldn't quite remember when he first discovered that time was looping, nor how he remembered said loops, but one day, he just.. realized.

Realized that this was not the first time Henry, the brown haired man who was rumored to be the creator, came through the tunnel on his little barge. That Sammy Lawrence fought him. That the Angel Wolf duo saved his life and slayed Sammy, before ultimately being attacked by Jeb's enraged brethren in an all out war. 

This was not the first time the three of them won that war, leaving the Lost One town silent and empty, devoid of life save for Jeb himself, who preferred not to get involved in the fighting.

And this was certainly not the first time Allison's loud cry of "HENRY!" rose up like a siren in the night, before everything went silent once more. 

Jeb was no mastermind. Heck, he was lucky if he could even remember his own name- if Jeb even _WAS_ his real name.. He got the strangest inkling that Henry may have referred to him as such in a previous time loop he couldn't quite remember the details of.. 

..But even he could tell, plain as day, that something was off.

The strangest thing was, it never felt like a loop to him, just a continuing series of events, like a theater play that was doing back to back shows. At first he thought he was the only one who was aware of it, as whenever he brought the subject up to the others, they simply gave him a strange look. But as he began to watch the events more closely, study each one of the players involved, he realized Henry knew too.

Unlike the others, whose conversations and actions seldom changed very much, Henry never followed the script, seeming to be the only one that always acted differently, always did something unexpected.

Like that one time he snapped at Sammy quite violently, demanding that the cultist listen to him, refusing to fight him as he yelled out things like, "I didn't ask for this!" and "please, we don't have to do this again!" Of course, Sammy was too blinded by his anger and desperation at being betrayed to listen, so once again he was slain by Tom. All while Henry cried, struggling to hold himself together emotionally as they began the fight with the Seekers and Lost Ones once more.

Every time Henry came through that tunnel, his eyes slowly lost their brightness, his determined expression grew less and less, and the corners of his mouth sagged deeper and deeper. Although physically he always looked the same, he seemed to get older with every pass.

He was the self proclaimed hero of this tale, the savior they had been waiting for, forced to loop through these cursed hallways until he found a way to set them all free. That much Jeb had gathered from the things he and Sammy yelled at each other during their fights, and from how the Angel and Wolf looked up to him to find a way out.

Once the Lost One realized this, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy and pity for him, deep within his cold, inky exterior. Sure, he wasn't confined to an inky prison of a body like the rest of them, but the burden he had to shoulder was far greater. 

How alone he must feel, repeating a story that had already happened while everyone around him was experiencing it for the first time. How tired he must be of hearing the same tired drabble and curses spat at him from friend and foe alike. How numb he must be from fighting the same battles over and over again. 

How _dull _it must all feel.__

A part of Jeb wished that he could express his sympathies to the man, let him know that he wasn't the only one who remembered, but he didn't know how. He couldn’t speak-as far as he could tell, none of the Lost Ones could-and he didn't dare approach Henry when he had that cold, steely look in his eyes, fearful to be mistaken for a foe and be sent back to the Dark Puddles before he even had a chance to explain.

So, he simply watched and waited, observing and biding his time should a chance to ever befriend or encourage the brown haired man came. 

Then one day, he got that chance.

It had been a while since Henry’s last pass through; since the town last rang with the sounds of battle. Jeb was looking down at his fishing wire hanging into the ink, wondering if he felt a nibble or not, as he awaited the telltale sound of Henry’s barge sputtering through the tunnel.

Only this time, he heard nothing.

The Lost One looked up in curiosity. _"…? "_ That was strange. Henry was usually here by now. He was usually so punctual he could almost tell time by the man’s rounds.

Perhaps he had run into trouble? This wouldn't be a surprising occurrence, considering the studio was wrought with dangers. Although.. as far as he could tell, Henry had never had any problems getting to this point before..

Several more hours passed, far beyond what even the first few loops he remembered had been like, before the tunnel finally rumbled with life again, causing him to cut off any theories he had been devising.

The fisherman watched as the barge slowly came chugging out of the darkened tunnel like normal, but this time around, something seemed different about Henry. When the boat reached the dock, the man didn’t get out right away. Just.. continued to stare down at the throttle in his hand. 

Jeb watched him silently, observing him. This was a first. Usually he was quick to leave the boat in fear of the ink hand that oft chased him through the tunnel. What was going on?

Finally, after what felt like hours, Henry sighed and let go of the throttle before slowly climbing out of the barge and looking up towards Jeb. Then towards the town.

But he didn’t move towards it with haste in his steps like he normally did. Just stared at it and shook his head, his shoulders sagging like a sack of potatoes. He then turned the other direction and walked down to the end of the dock.

Even from where he was, Jeb could see that he wasn’t happy. In fact, it looked as though the man had been crying. His eyes were red and puffed up, and there were clean streaks through the ink splotches on his face, dried now from the tears that had cleaned them. He looked _exhausted_.

Henry sighed heavily, far heavier than Jeb had ever heard from him before, and with some difficulty, plopped down on the edge of the dock, setting his gent pipe to the side and dangling his legs over the edge into the ink before leaning forward on his knees. 

“This is so dumb..” The man’s voice drifted up to him, although it seemed he was talking more to himself than anything else as he stared into the ink below him with a forlorn look on his face. “What’s the point of me even trying anymore if the outcome is always going to be the same?"

This surprised Jeb, actually, his eyes slowly widening. Not that he was giving up, but how long it had taken him to reach this point. The man had clearly been going through this same routine for an absurdly long amount of time. He was surprised he hadn't broken down sooner.

Still, the ink creature felt his heart twist in his chest as Henry buried his face in his hands. It was clear the monotony of looping through the studio was getting to him, and he had hit his breaking point.

What he needed was a break from his seemingly pointless and never-ending journey. Something to take his mind off the daunting task before him. Someone.. to let him know everything was going to be okay.

That's when an idea sparked in the Lost One's mind. 

_Oh, of course!_

Nothing took Jeb's mind off his own troubles quite like fishing.. _Perhaps.. it could help Henry too._

The man didn't even seem to be aware of what the fisherman was up to as Jeb stood up from his post, pulling his fishing line up from the rippling waters and turning to walk inside his little shack. The Lost One retrieved another rod from his collection of poles in the corner and summoned up an ink puddle, which he then used to make his way down onto the dock behind Henry. 

Henry still didn't move, even at the sound of bubbling behind him as Jeb pulled himself up from the ink again. The man was distant, clearly lost in thought and unaware of his surroundings. Which only made sense. Why would he have to be careful here? Until he triggered the fight with Sammy, no one ever came out to confront him. The town was always peaceful and silent. Nothing ever changed.

Jeb hesitated a moment before going over and eyeing the metal pipe lying next to him. He certainly hoped Henry wouldn't see him as a threat as he sauntered up behind him, letting out his best groan of greeting as he touched his shoulder.

THIS got Henry's attention, the man jerking away in aghast surprise as he turned and half pulled his body out of the ink while his other hand flew to his pipe, prepared to defend himself. His eyes caught onto Jeb, and the brief look of terror and fright that crossed his eyes was so childlike that it made Jeb want to laugh at how he had managed to catch the man so off guard.

He backed off a bit though instead, out of the range of his pipe anyways, holding up a hand to show he meant no harm. He groaned again, a bit annoyed he couldn't form words, and glanced at the extra fishing pole before thrusting it out towards the man, hoping he would get the picture.

Henry's voice caught in his throat, the ex-animator clearly at a loss for words, and he quickly looked at the pole before glancing up towards the shack where Jeb had once been. Wordlessly realizing that he must be the fisherman, he stood up, clearly confused as he eyed the pole's owner. "You've never come down here before." He idly commented, half talking to himself.

Jeb mumbled something about never having a reason to before-though it sounded like groans and grunts to Henry- before he thrust the fishing rod towards the man again, urging him to take it.

It took a long period of silence before Henry slowly relaxed, realizing he meant him no harm and that, for some reason, he simply just wanted him to take the fishing rod. "For me?" He asked, cautiously holding out his hand.

Jeb dropped the pole into it and nodded, before walking over and sitting down on the dock cross-legged, casting his own line back into the ink. He then groaned again and blinked up at the man, encouraging him to join him.

Henry simply.. stared for a minute, clearly puzzled by this little series of events, before seemingly giving up on trying to explain it to himself and relenting, a small smile tugging on his face as he carefully sat down next to Jeb. After a bit of difficulty figuring out how to cast his line out, he managed to get it into the ink a little ways away, where his hook disappeared beneath the ebony lake. Then things went silent again.

Just two men, sitting on the dock, fishing their troubles away.

Henry was pleasantly surprised. He didn't think that fishing into a lake that he knew didn't have anything to catch in it would make him anything but more upset, but.. the longer he sat there, surprisingly, it did the opposite.

He felt.. oddly relaxed. It was almost as if just the simple notion of doing something people considered normal gave him a sense of peace. And even though this Lost One was by far the least normal fishing partner he could possibly have, he just seemed to exude this very chilled and relaxed aura from his body, like nothing were wrong in the studio, and he was just living his life. It was.. nice.

After a few minutes of silence, Jeb looked over at Henry again, only to see the smile hadn't faded. The man looked genuinely a bit happier now, even meeting the fisherman’s gaze.

"Hey, thanks." He said, even though he was still unsure if Jeb could understand him or not. "I think.. I needed this. Even though I know I'm not going to catch anything and it's silly to try," He inhaled and slowly breathed it out again, looking out across the ink once more. "It still feels nice.."

Jeb rumbled low in his throat, pleased he could help cheer up the man a bit, and looked around before using his finger to draw something on the ground. Curious as to what he was doing, Henry looked down, and was surprised to see the Lost One was writing words.

**"You looked like you needed a break."** The black marks on the dock read. Henry blinked as he read them, and an amused laugh forced itself free from his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, I.. I really did." He replied, his eyes softening before he slowly reached out with his free hand to run his fingers over the message. 

Huh.. it was so odd.. despite the fact that it was such a simple sentence, just the fact that this seemingly insignificant Lost One had noticed his sorrows and decided to try and help him out meant a lot to the man. With practically the whole studio up in arms against him, or hurrying him on towards his goal, besides Boris, it was rare to meet someone who actually cared. 

The sentiment was enough to cause his eyes to water up, and Henry laughed a bit that such a simple thing had moved him to tears before he wiped his eyes clean. 

"Ahaha.. I'm fine," He said a bit embarrassed, waving his hand dismissively when he noticed Jeb giving him a concerned look. "I just got a little ink in my eye is all.." 

The fisherman made a low noise akin to a chuckling snort, like he knew that to be hogwash, and Henry chuckled along before he suddenly start when he felt something tug upon his line. It took him half a second of blank staring and Jeb suddenly motioning for him to pull it in before he realized he had just caught something.

After a bit of a panic and a hilarious struggle to pull it to shore, to his relief and surprise, hooked on the end of his line was a half-empty bacon soup can, probably washed there by the underwater currents. The two men stared at it for a minute, and Henry couldn't help himself as he began to laugh hysterically.

He laughed and he laughed, and Jeb couldn't help but join in at the infectious sound, his own laughter echoing with Henry's throughout the cavern, although his sounded more like a bubbling tar pit.

After a few moments, the two of them calmed down. Henry wiped his eyes again and sighed contently as he pried the can free, turning it over in his hand to observe the faded label. "Guess I was wrong about there being nothing to catch here after all."

Jeb smiled beneath the ink at the man's humor and held up a finger before beginning to draw something else on the ground next to his message. The weirdest things he had ever experienced catching in these waters before. 

Henry watched his somewhat poorly drawn doodles intently, echoing what they were as he finished each one. "Fishbones. A toy plane? A candle holder." What a surprising treasure trove this lake held. "Huh. Maybe the key I need to breaking this absurd loop is hidden down there too." He half joked to himself before slowly going quiet again.

Jeb looked worriedly up at him and saw the man was focused on the pole in his hands again, mouth set in a straight line. He wondered for a moment if he shouldn't have said anything, but then.. he saw his look. This time, he didn't look hopeless. More like.. thoughtful.

Maybe he was right. There were still a lot of places left in the studio to search. Just because things kept looping didn't mean there wasn't a way out somewhere. He just needed to look a little harder.

"Yeah.. it's down here.. somewhere." The man continued affirmatively, a slight bit of that determined look returning to his eyes. "I just need to keep looking."

As Jeb watched, Henry grabbed his weapon and rose from the dock back to his feet, ink dripping in little dollops around him. "Thanks Jeb." He stated, looking down at the Lost One and confirming Jeb's suspicions that he did, indeed, give him that name. "I know what I need to do now." 

He flashed him a well worn but encouraged smile and handed him back his pole before starting to walk down the dock towards the town. "I need to keep going. Keep searching. The answers are out there, somewhere." 

He paused, and glanced back. "Thanks for letting me fish with you. I needed it. Let's do it again sometime soon." The smile briefly waned, remembering the loops. "Hopefully."

Jeb nodded and stood up as well as Henry pressed forward, noting the man's demeanor had changed slightly. He seemed.. more determined again, and the little voice inside Jeb was silently cheering him on to victory. "Good luck out there." He wanted to warble, but it simply came out as a groan, and he waved a goodbye to him before returning to his shack as the familiar sounds of a reoccurring scene started up behind him. This time with Henry shouting, "Yeah, you want some? BRING IT ON LAWRENCE!!"

Somehow, he knew. If anyone in the studio could find a way out of here, a way to break the curse of the ink machine and this never-ending time loop, it was Henry. And the next time he would come around through that tunnel, looking downtrodden and distressed, there would be a big ole surprise waiting for him on the dock. A fishing pole, with a message in ink below it that read, 

**"Hi Henry. Lovely day for fishing, isn’t it?"**

\--


	2. UPDATE: More to Come!

Hey guys! So, first off, sorry that there hasn't been an update to this story yet. It's sort of expanded into a full on AU and I'm currently doing my best to write it to completion. The next 'chapter' of this (I say 'chapter' because it would just be another story in the series) has been a pain in my butt to write correctly, but I am determined to get it finished!! >A<)/

I don't want to say much else lest I lose my inspiration to finish the stories, but let's just say, if this fic interested you, then you'll love what I've got in store.

**ALSO!!! 👏 I got some art commissioned from the lovely Doberart on Twitter for this fic a few months back** and.. LOOK!! LOOK HOW GOOD IT CAME OUT!! IT'S THE HAPPY BOYS FISHING TOGETHER!! Q3Q https://twitter.com/TheCartoonKitty/status/1102829152640618496

I'll probably delete this update after I post the next story in the series, but I wanted to let you guys know where things are standing right now. Thanks again for reading, and for your comments! They mean the absolute world to me. >w<

Later!  
Ragtime-Doll

**Author's Note:**

> Skjhgksjghsdk see guys, I can write happy stuff too! :'D
> 
> Now we're onto the part where I go into way too much backstory and Q&A that I'm sure no one cares about but I'm still going to include anyways! XD  
> \-----  
> Q: Will you make a continuation?  
> A: I guess if people ask for it! I do have another short bit I've written about when Henry gave Jeb his name that I can post if y'all want.
> 
> Q: Is this a new AU?  
> A: Yes, only because I love this concept and want to expand on it in the future. I'll shall call it.. the Fishing Buddies AU! Basically everything's the same, except Jeb knows about the timeloops too and him and Henry fish a lot.
> 
> Q: Where did the name Jeb come from?  
> A: Way back when TheMeatly first released a picture of the fishing Lost One on Twitter (https://twitter.com/BATIMgame/status/1053707419061182465), I knew at first glance that I loved him to bits and had to give him a name. He looked like a Jeb to me, so I dubbed him as Jeb, and to this day, despite how insignificant he is to the overall plot, I love him and can't imagine the game without him being there. He's a little beacon of hope and joy to me when I see him fishing, and I can't help but hope Henry feels the same way.
> 
> Q: Where'd you get the idea to write this?  
> A: After getting the seeing tool and seeing all the messages along the walls, I felt as depressed as I imagined Henry did, being all alone and having to experience this hell so many times over. I hated it. So I wanted to write him finding a friend and getting a break. Jeb seemed perfect because he always made me smile whenever I see him fishing. He seemed like the only character in the studio besides Boris who was giving the middle finger to being miserable and just acting like everything was normal.  
> The idea of him knowing about the timeloops came from my thought of, "I wonder what kinds of things he sees, sitting up there all day.."  
> Henry just seriously needed some joy and a good friend in this stupid hell Joey has forced him to be in. >:U Srsly, screw you Joey.
> 
> Q: How long did it take you to write this?  
> A: One day. ...Initially. That was back in November 2018. I just kept running into an issue where the first half of the fic just felt.. wrong. So I desperately tried to rewrite it for months to where it felt right, with little success. Then, this past week I got sick, and somehow, after being away from it for so long, I was finally able to overcome that hurdle, and I finished it! Which is unusual for me, as I tend to drop most fics I write. But this one was really important to me, so I had to finish it. And I'm glad I have, even if nobody reads it. uwu


End file.
